Should my kid go to university?

With fewer graduate jobs and the spectre of grinding debt, what are the alternatives for UK teens leaving school?

For decades, the answer was easy: get the grades, go to uni, get a graduate job. In 2026, none of that is guaranteed. Tuition fees in England now sit at £9,535 a year, maintenance loans rarely cover rent, and the average graduate leaves with around £45,000 of debt that follows them for 40 years.

Meanwhile, graduate vacancies have fallen sharply - the Institute of Student Employers reported a 33% drop in entry-level roles in 2026, with employers openly citing AI as a reason. A degree is no longer a shortcut to a stable career.

That doesn't mean university is the wrong choice. For medicine, law, engineering, academia, and many science careers, it's still essential. The question is whether it's right for *your* kid, doing *that* course, at *that* institution.

UK alternatives worth taking seriously: degree apprenticeships (a full degree, paid, no debt - Rolls-Royce, BT, the NHS, the Big Four all run them), Higher and Advanced Apprenticeships (Levels 4–7), T Levels for 16–19s, supported gap years, and trades - plumbers and electricians routinely out-earn graduates within five years.

How to talk to your teen: ask what they actually want their life to look like at 25, not what course they want to pick. Use the UCAS apprenticeship search and the government's 'Find an apprenticeship' service together. Visit a campus *and* a workplace before deciding.

The honest truth: there is no single right path anymore, and that's actually freeing. The worst outcome is a teen sleepwalking into £50k of debt for a course they don't care about because no one offered them another option.